Means for sampling bulk materials



Nov. 24, I970 F. JORDISON MEANS FOR SAIPLING BULK MATERIALS mm a. 16. 196 8 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Flush aonmson BY fir 8011 am NOV. 24, 1970 JoRDlsoN 3,541,862

MEANS FOR SAMPLING BULK MATERIALS Filed Dec. 16, 1968 v2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR FRED JORDISON United States Patent 3,541 862 MEANS FOR SAMPLIN G BULK MATERIALS Fred Jordison, Chesterfield, England, assignor to The Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited, Birming- 1 US. Cl. 73423 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A sampler container is moved across the path of a bulk material as the material falls in a stream. The container is mounted on two arms and is driven downwardly along an arcuate path from a first position above the material flow through the material flow and then upwardly in the reverse direction through the material flow back to the first position. The sample of material is removed when the container is in the first position. The container is driven by a motor controlled chain, which follows an arcuate guide corresponding to the path of movement of the container.

This invention relates to means for sampling bulk material while such material is falling in a stream, and refers more particularly to equipment for sampling bulk particulate material, such as coal, in which a sample container is caused to effect sampling cycles each consisting of at least one passage through the falling material stream, and to discharge the material collected therefrom.

According to the present invention equipment for sampling bulk material as it falls in a stream comprises a sample container, mounted for arcuate movement on a pair of spaced pivoted arms, movement being imparted to the container by means of a movable flexible connector, such, for example, as a chain or rope.

The sample container is preferably arranged so that it may be moved in two opposite directions through the stream, means being provided for taking a sample of the material as the container moves in each direction. Preferably the container is so arranged and adapted to operate that it cuts the stream at an angle which is roughly at right angles to the'stream of material.

The flexible connector for moving the sample container is preferably a chain and is preferably arranged to move over or between arcuate guide surfaces. Alternatively an endless chain or rope may be used.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are generally of diagrammatic form and in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of the sampling equipment on the line B-B of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on the line CC of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, in the construction shown as applied by way of example to equipment for sampling coal as it is projected in a stream, indicated by the dotted lines 1 in FIG. 1, from the head-drum 2 of a conveyor 3 after being moved by the conveyor in the direction indicated by arrow A, the sampling equipment includes a framework 4 on which is pivotally mounted a pair of radially disposed arms 5 to which is rigidly fixed a sample container 6 suspended in its normal at rest position in front of and above the head-drum 2 of the conveyor 3. Connected to each side of the container 6 is a heavy duty roller chain 7, each chain passing over a chain-wheel 8 keyed to either end of a shaft 9 rotata'bly mounted in bearings 10 located on an upper structure "ice of the framework. The chains 7 hang downwardly from the chain-wheels 8, passing over a second pair of chainwheels 11 and then extending upwardly, the end of each chain being secured to the framework. The chain-wheels 11 are keyed to shafts 12 mounted in bearings 13 secured to a frame 14 carrying a set of counterweights 15. The frame 14 is located in a vertical well-like construction 16 in which it is guided in its vertical movements, as hereafter described.

Coupled to the shafts 9 is a reversible electric drive unit 17 for transmitting to the chains 7 the desired movements for operating the container 6 and counterweights 15. The container 6 swings in an are about the pivotally mounted arms 5 in its upward and downward movements, being held at its correct speed by the chains 7 which pass over fixed arcuate guide angles 18 preferably fitted to a chute 19 for receiving samples discharged from the container 6, which is usually wider than the material stream 1 and is provided with a cutting aperture set approximately at right angles to the material stream. This cutting aperture is of a suitable width for the particle size being collected, resulting in a representative increment being taken.

The sample container is provided with a discharge door 20 having means for automatically opening the door to allow of the discharge of the sample to the chute 19 and for automatically closing the door thereafter. In the arrangement shown in FIG. 1 the door 20 is held in its closed position by a two-armed lever 21, one arm being connected to a latch 22 which engages the discharge door. The outer end of the lever 21 is adapted to engage an adjustable stop 23 secured to a suitable fixed part of the equipment. Engagement between the arm 21 and the stop 23 causes the latch 22 to be disengaged and consequently to release the discharge door. For the automatic closing of the depending discharge door 20 there is mounted on a suitable fixed part of the equipment a pivoted member 24 to which is secured a spring-urged plunger 25 having an anti-friction roller 26 on its outer end. This roller extends in the path of the sample container 6 and is so arranged that when the container moves past it upwardly on the way to the discharge position the member 24 moves bodily about its pivot 27 out of the path of the container. However, when thecontainer 6 moves downwardly towards the roller 26 with the discharge door 20 open, the roller engages the door and as the pivotal movement of the member '24 is limited in that direction, continued movement of the container causes the door to be closed and secured by the latch 22. Further movement merely depresses the roller 26 on its spring-urged plunger 25, thereby allowing the container 6 to continue its downward movement.

In operation of the equipment the container 6 with its discharge door 20 closed starts from its upper rest position and swings in an arc, downwards, accelerating under the action of the motor driven chains 7 to a pre-determined speed before the container enters the material stream 1. The speed of the container remains constant while it is in the stream collecting half of the increment. When the container is clear of the stream on its downward travel it is retarded under control of the motor 17 and brought to rest under the head-drum 2 of the conveyor 3. Immediately the travel of the container is reversed to swing upwards and accelerated to a predetermined speed equal to the downward speed before entering the material stream. The container is kept at this speed whilst travelling through the stream and collecting the second half of the increment.

The container 6 is brought to rest in its initial top position where the discharge door 20 is automatically opened by release of the latch 22, as previously described,

to deliver the material to the chute 19 for further processing or collection, the door resting inside the chute to prevent spillage.

The sample container remains in this position until a process timer indicates a further increment is to be taken. When this happens the above cycle is repeated, the discharge door 20 of the container being automatically closed by the member 24, as above described, before the container is at full speed in its downward travel.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for sampling bulk material as it falls in a stream comprising support means, sample collecting means comprising at least one arm movably mounted on said support means and a sample collecting container mounted on one end of said arm and drive means for controllably moving said sample collecting means so as to move said container downwardly along an arcuate path from a first position above the material flow through the material flow and then upwardly in the reverse direction through the material flow back. to said first position, characterized by at least one flexible motion transmitting and control member actuated by said drive means and connected to said sample collecting means adjacent said container, and arcuate guide means corresponding to the path of movement of said container and over which said flexible member passes during movement of the container along said path.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein said container is mounted between the ends of two pivoted arms, and said flexible member is connected directly to said container.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein said drive means comprises a motor driven sprocket, and said flexible member is a chain extending over said sprocket.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 3, wherein said chain is connected at one end to said container and is fixed at the other end to said support means.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 4 comprising a counterweight mounted for vertical displacement, and lower sprocket means operatively connected to said counterweight and over which said chain passes between said motor driven sprocket and said support means.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 1, comprising a spaced pair of arms pivotally mounted on said support means and a pair of chains connected to the sample container, said chains passing over upper sprocket means mounted on said support means and located above the upper arcuate travel of the container, and said chains extending downwardly from the upper sprocket means to pass over lower sprocket means connected to a vertically movable counterweight and then extending upwardly to an anchorage on said support means.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said upper sprocket means is driveably coupled to a reversible electric motor and thereby adapted to impart downward movement to the sample container and upward movement to the counterweight by driving the chains in one direction and upward movement to the sample container and downward movement to the counterweight by driving the chains in other directions.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sample container has a hinged door adapted to be opened and closed during arcuate travel of the container, whereby material collected in the container is discharged into a suitably disposed chute, and a stop member extending in the path of the container and movable only in an upward direction by said container, said stop member being adapted to contact the open door depending from the container during its initial downward movement, and the arrangement being such that on contact with the stop member said door is closed and latched, while on its upward movement to the discharge position the container displaces and moves past said stop member.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said stop member is pivotally mounted on a suitable part of said support means and is displaced upwardly by the ascending sample container, said stop member including a spring urged plunger adapted to contact the depending open door of the descending container, and said plunger having a roller on its end adapted to contact the container door.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the sample container is provided with a hinged door adapted to be automatically opened and closed during the arcuate travel of the container along said path whereby material collected therein is automatically discharged.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the door of the container is held in its closed position by a pivoted latch actuated by a lever both mounted on the container, the lever being adapted to engage with a stop member secured to the support means thereby causing disengagement of the latch and release of the door when the container reaches the uppermost position of its arcuate travel.

LOUIS R. PRINCE, Primary Examiner H. C. POST III, Assistant Examiner 

